Brokerage ads tell you what the new broker gives you. Nobody prints what leaving the old one costs. SwitchCost Checker builds that missing report from the BrokerCompare fee dataset: 50 US online brokerages, validated September 15, 2026.
Pick your current broker, say whether you are moving everything or part of it, and tick the account types you hold. The report shows the cost to leave as recorded, the five best alternatives ranked on recorded fees, and, if you add a rough picture of your trading, whether switching pays for itself and how fast.
The honesty rule
One rule runs through everything: a fee the dataset does not record is marked "Not recorded in the dataset". It is never filled in with a guess. That includes outgoing transfer (ACAT) and closeout fees, which this dataset does not record for any broker, so the one time cost in your report is a partial floor, not a total. We would rather show you a labelled gap than a confident wrong number.
How to run your first check
- Pick your current broker from the list of 50.
- Choose full transfer or partial transfer, and tick your account types so alternatives are matched against them.
- Optionally add your rough trading picture to unlock the payback maths.
- Press Check my switch cost, then copy or print the report before you start any transfer.
Two checks a day are free on your connection; after that, an email unlocks unlimited checks for the rest of the day. If you want the background first, our guide to broker account transfer fees explains where these charges hide, and the companion piece, seven costs to check before you switch, turns the report into a pre move checklist. Ready when you are: run your broker through SwitchCost. Investors comparing on margin should also see our margin rates by balance tier table, the most read page on this site.